Owl rescued from power line in Arizona
MESA, Ariz. (NBC, KYMA) - An owl was rescued after it was seen hanging from a power line in Mesa, Arizona.
"I woke up this morning to go for a bike ride, and coming down from the canal, I saw something hanging and I look up and saw it was an owl, so it's pretty crazy," said a Mesa resident.
It's not exactly the kind of bird-watching one might expect on their morning bike ride.
"He's still alive and he's just hanging out and he's just waiting to be saved here," the resident shared.
A Great Horned Owl was dangling from a power line near a canal near Gilbert Road and Main Street in Mesa.
"He's just looking up at it like...'Get me off this thing,'" the resident explained.
Someone on NextDoor even thought the bird was a cat. But it was definitely an owl, and definitely in a bad spot.
"Anything in a power line, our number one caution is life safety for first the community and then ourselves," said a Mesa firefighter.
So, the Mesa Fire Department had to wait for SRP crews who used a bucket truck to reach the owl, free it and lower it to safety.
The owl looked a little embarrassed about the whole thing, and everyone had to get a photo.
"Once they got the owl into a safe location we were able to wrap it up, and calm it down so that the owl professionals can come take care of the owl," the firefighter detailed.
An SRP biologist gently boxed up the owl and brought it to Liberty Wildlife's rehabilitation center in Phoenix.
Biologist Laura Hackett said the adult female owl had some disheveled feathers on the wing that got caught, but no signs of serious injury.
"We don't see any signs of breaks or any kind of tissue damage or anything, so we're just monitoring her here for a day or two to make sure nothing else presents itself. But most likely, she'll probably be released within about two days," Hackett spoke.
Hackett said this is also a reminder to pick up fishing line and hooks. This is the second bird they've rescued from fishing line this week.
"If a bird gets entangled in it, it's really hard for them to get out," Hackett expressed.
Despite a few roughed up feathers, the owl should be back in the wild in a few days, released right where she was found.
